Dealing With Anxiety and Worry

Most have of us have probably told someone to calm down. As someone once asked, has anyone ever calmed down in response to being told to calm down? Usually the reaction to this statement, is a violent response, such as, “Don’t tell me to calm down!”  And most of us have been on that side as well, in the midst of a catastrophe, one just does not simply calm down. Yet in the Bible, we find Jesus essentially telling us the same thing.

Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

 That is the Biblical version of “Calm down.”

 If we search the scriptures we will find that we are commanded to not be anxious, some translations use the word “worry” in lieu of anxious, in several places. Listen to what scripture has to say about anxiety and worry.

 Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down

 Isaiah 35:4
Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.”

Mark 13:11
 And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Luke 12:25
 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

1 Corinthians 7:32
 I want you to be free from anxieties.

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Clearly God does not want us to be anxious or worry. The flip side of this is that scripture is filled with the admonition to not fear or to be afraid.

But in truth, we all struggle with this, especially in the middle of the storms of life. Telling us to calm down and not to worry or be anxious just isn’t that simple. What are we to do?

The answer lies in faith. Because the hard truth of this is, for the Christian, worry and anxiety is a sin. It might be the worst sin of all, because what worry says to God is that I really don’t trust you.

I don’t write these things to make us feel condemnation because we all lack faith. If we turn to the Book of Romans, we can find the comfort we need even in the honest admission of our faults.

Romans 8:1-2
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

If we are in Christ, then we are not condemned, but we rest in the righteousness of Christ. Yet, we must strive to grow in obedience and this can only come if we grow our faith. How do we grow in faith? We look again at Romans.

Romans 10:17
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

We simply must immerse ourselves into our Bibles. We must know the Word of God, for in it are the promises and when we read His Word and we ask through prayer for the Holy Spirit to help and teach us, then we grow our faith. We also need to be in fellowship with other believers by attending church, going to Bible studies through being in a small group or Sunday school classes. God’s design for His people is that they encourage each other. All believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling their hearts and this is where we derive the strength and the wisdom to counsel each other. We also need close fellowship. Jesus had twelve men that He spent most of His time with and within that group, He was even more intimate with three of them. We need someone we can speak openly with. The term used most often is accountability partner.

Ephesians, chapter six, teaches us that we also have an enemy and we are at war spiritually with this enemy. Listen to the equipment God has provided us with to stand in this battle until Jesus returns.

Ephesians 6:10-18
 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.  Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,  and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.  In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.

Notice that we have been given a shield to deflect the arrows of the enemy. If we are prone to anxiety and worry, then these are the arrows Satan will fire at us. We must use the shield of faith. I ask you this question; How big is your shield? The bigger the shield the more effective you will be at not letting the arrows of worry hit you. We simply must be strong enough to wield a huge shield. As this verse begins, it is in the Lord we must be strong in. Not ourselves. We are not strong. So, stop trying to be. Let Jesus be your strength.

We must get in deeply in faith through God’s Word. We must encourage each other to believe God’s Word, for it is true. This is the answer to the command to calm down and to not be anxious.

I have one more suggestion that I am convinced is an oft missed idea of God. He is sovereign. When you read the history of Israel, take careful note of how He protects them by His sovereign control over man and kings. Stop worrying about this argument that you have free will. Yes, we do have free will, but in a mystery of God we can simply not understand, God is still controlling the events of our world by His sovereign will. Romans 8:28 is a good place to start. But the facts of His sovereignty are all over the pages of the Bible. God is in control and He has the complete power and authority to make true, all His promises. The key to faith is believing God really is sovereign. And if one is sovereign over something, this means complete control.

So, this very day calm down. Do not be anxious. Do not worry.

Instead, believe God.